Distance Meets Connection – Leadership and Collaboration for Remote Teams

During the expert session, Line Morkbak engages the audience in discussions on remote team collaboration through methods such as Q&A sessions, sharing best practices for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration using examples like Dropbox, and interactive exercises with the Mentimeter app to assess current remote work maturity levels. She emphasizes effective communication and collaboration strategies, including daily standups and appropriate communication hubs, managing hybrid meetings, building cultural awareness, and experimenting with new remote work practices.

• Maximizing Remote Team Collaboration: Embracing both synchronous and asynchronous workflows is essential for successful remote team collaboration. Prepare for asynchronous work by committing to it as a team and setting aside dedicated time for focused tasks.
• Effective Communication in Remote Teams: Utilize daily standups, whether synchronous or asynchronous through tools like Slack or Padlet, to ensure team members are updated on each other's progress and foster a sense of synchronicity. Choose an appropriate communication hub for asynchronous conversations and avoid relying solely on email.
• Managing Cultural Differences in International Teams: Develop cultural awareness and intentionality when building connections among international team members. Use tools like Globe Smart for cultural assessments, conduct one-on-one meetings, and be flexible with meeting times to navigate cultural differences effectively.

In this expert session, Line Morkbak discusses the theme of building connections and fostering effective collaboration in remote teams. Line begins by emphasizing the importance of both synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (non-real-time) collaboration in a remote setting. She explains that asynchronous collaboration is ideal for sharing content, accommodating different working styles and time zones, and honoring individual work rhythms. Synchronous collaboration, on the other hand, is essential for decision-making, problem-solving, and relationship building with colleagues.

 

Line provides examples of companies like Dropbox, which prioritize asynchronous work and minimize meetings to allow team members to focus on individual tasks. She encourages teams to commit to asynchronous collaboration by preparing ahead of time and setting aside dedicated time for focused work. The expert then opens up a discussion on how best to apply these concepts to future online meetings.

 

Line highlights the importance of effective communication and collaboration in remote and international teams. She recommends using daily standups, whether synchronous or asynchronous through tools like Slack or Padlet, to keep team members updated on each other's progress. Line also advises against relying solely on email for team communication due to its linear nature and lack of visibility into active participants.

 

When working with international teams, Line stresses the importance of cultural awareness and intentionality in building connections. She suggests one-on-one meetings, meeting flexibility, and using tools like Globe Smart for cultural assessments to navigate cultural differences. Line also shares strategies for managing hybrid meetings, where some participants are present in person while others join remotely. She recommends designing meetings with remote participants in mind, utilizing video conferencing and online boards, and implementing the "buddy system" to promote inclusion.

 

Line emphasizes that effective collaboration in a remote setting requires experimentation and adaptation. She encourages team experimentation and documentation to discover new ways of working effectively together. Line concludes by advising managers to lead by example, prioritize asynchronous work, and shorter, focused meetings for more productive collaboration. 
 

Hybrid Acceleration - Elevate Your Hybrid Collaboration

How can we reach a seamless collaboration in the hybrid mix of remote and office-based team members? Hybrid Acceleration is an engaging talk designed to equip you with the skills needed in our new flexible work environments. To accelerate hybrid work, digital inclusion is essential which means addressing in-person biases and mastering an asynchronous mindset and skillset. Workplace Enthusiast Line Mørkbak will share proven practices to elevate your hybrid collaboration. You’ll learn simple, effective techniques to enhance your hybrid setup, along with tools and tips to make the challenging hybrid meetings inclusive, engaging, and productive for all participants - whether they’re in the room or joining remotely. The talk will also spotlight insights from hybrid pioneers like Dropbox, Fujitsu, and GitLab, showcasing valuable lessons from their successes.

Cultural Synergy

Line emphasizes the importance of being aware of one's own strengths and weaknesses, as well as cultural preferences, and the need to adapt communication styles accordingly. They discuss how cultural diverse teams can be both less effective and more effective than homogeneous teams depending on how leaders leverage the diversity present in the team. The session also covers strategies for communicating effectively with colleagues who have different communication styles, the importance of considering the impact of one's behavior on colleagues, and practices for creating cultural synergy within teams. Finally, the concept of the platinum rule is introduced, treating others how they want to be treated, rather than the golden rule, and suggest inclusion actions for participants to consider implementing in their workplaces.

• Very good speaker. I was made aware of some online alternatives to the traditional teams meeting.
• Cool tools to try out in the team.
• Hybrid is productive and efficient!
• Thank you for the great inspiration to revive the topic of the home office. Various points from Webex can be applied very well here.